Postponement adds to Sheffield Wednesday’s problems

Referee Ross Joyce took 47 minutes looking at the Hillsborough pitch before deciding to call the game off at 6.17pm, less than an hour and a half before the scheduled kick-off.

The Accrington players were not at the ground when the inspection started, but were by the time it finished. Although the rain that had been falling heavily during the day had stopped by then, there were at least eight significant patches of standing water on the playing surface and the Teesside referee decided there was no choice but to call the game off.

The amount of time it took the officials to reach the decision suggested a will to play the game. By then the heavy rain that had been falling throughout the day had stopped but there were large amounts left on the pitch and to play the game always looked unrealistic.

It means both sides still have 15 matches to fit in before the final day of the regular League One season, on April 30. One point outside, the Owls will then hope to qualify for the play-offs, meaning three further matches.

The one positive of the postponement is that it will give the hosts extra time to get their 10 injured players fit. Striker Lee Gregory has a chance of being involved in Saturday’s short trip to Doncaster Rovers having not played since January’s 3-2 defeat at Oxford United.

Last night’s match was originally due to be played in mid-December but postponed because of Covid-19 infections in the Owls camp.

No new date has yet been set but the teams are likely to try again in March, with the Owls busy every weekend and midweek until then. March 8/9 looks like the first sensible option available.

The Hillsborough pitch was in poor condition for Sunday’s derby against Rotherham United, and three days was always likely to be an unforgiving turnaround, even before Storm Dudley played its part.

After a difficult mid-winter of coronavirus-affected postponements, the Owls’ position is not much better or worse than most teams. Wigan Athletic and Doncaster are the only outliers in a division where all the other teams have played between 30 and 32 matches to date.

The Owls are a point outside the play-offs having played a game more than seventh-placed Oxford United, and a match fewer than Plymouth Argyle, in the final play-off place.

Tickets for the game will be valid for the new date.

No one from Wednesday was available to speak to the media after the postponement, but on Sunday manager Darren Moore had said there was a chance of Gregory being available to face Doncaster, who beat Lincoln City on Tuesday to move off the bottom of the table.

“Possibly,” he said. “We will see.

“When any of the injured players come back, we will welcome them back because they are big players for us.”

Gregory was badly missed against the Millers, where the hosts created the vast majority of the chances but failed to take them. League leaders Rotherham had two shots on target and scored both of them for a 2-0 win.

Sheffield-born centre-forward Gregory is the Owls’ top scorer in the league this season with eight goals – twice as many as Barry Bannan and strikers Josh Windass and Florian Kamberi.

Windass, Harlee Dean, Dominic Iorfa, Chey Dunkley, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Tyreece John-Jules are also injured whilst on-loan Everton centre-back Lewis Gibson is back in training but needs to build up his fitness having not played since October.

Olamide Shodipo has not been registered for the second half of the season because of injury but the Owls are hopeful he could recover in time to play some part, and can be re-registered if that is the case. They are less optimistic about fellow midfielder Dennis Adeniran’s chances of playing again in 2021-22.

Come in No 9: Page 20